The Rhythm of Resilience: How ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’ Redefines Grief Through Dance
By Jessica Herndon
At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the U.S. Dramatic Competition was set ablaze by a film that defies easy categorization. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, is a vibrant, surreal, and deeply moving exploration of the human condition. Set against the kinetic, high-stakes backdrop of Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, the film manages to do what few cinematic projects achieve: it treats the crushing weight of sorrow and the infectious buoyancy of joy as two sides of the same coin.
As the credits rolled at its premiere, the audience was left not with a sense of melancholic finality, but with an invigorated belief in the power of movement. The film serves as a poignant reminder that even when the world goes still, the body often remembers the rhythm of life long before the heart is ready to catch up.
The Genesis of a Movement: A Story of Survival
At its core, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! centers on Haru, a woman whose existence was once defined by the fluid geometry of dance, the pulse of music, and the competitive fire of the studio. However, a profound personal loss has brought her world to a sudden, jarring halt. She is stagnant, trapped in the domestic silence of her own grief.
It is only through the persistent, gentle prodding of her friends that Haru finds herself back in a dance studio. Her return is reluctant and temporary, but the proximity to the dance floor—and an unexpected, budding attraction to her new instructor—begins to stir something dormant within her. As she navigates this transition, the film tackles the universal, agonizing question: How does one embrace the new without betraying the memory of what has been lost?
Director Josef Kubota Wladyka, alongside co-writer Nicholas Huynh, has crafted a narrative that allows longing and sorrow to coexist with grace. The film is less a traditional drama and more an homage to the indomitable nature of the human spirit.
A Directorial Vision Inspired by Legacy
The soul of the film finds its origin in the real-life experiences of Wladyka’s mother, an 81-year-old amateur ballroom dancer. While Wladyka is quick to clarify that the film is not a direct autobiography, it is, in every frame, a love letter to her resilience.
"My mom has been through a lot of tribulations in her life," Wladyka shared during the post-premiere Q&A, a moment that saw the audience rise in a standing ovation as his mother stood and waved from her seat. "She had to raise three boys on her own, and the one thing she always fell back on to help her get through the hard times was dancing. We wanted to create this film as an homage to her—to show that no matter how messy life gets, you have to keep moving forward and keep dancing."
Wladyka, previously known for the gritty intensity of Catch the Fair One and Manos Sucias, pivots here to a more colorful, occasionally surreal palette. He maintains his signature empathy, but applies it to a story that finds beauty in the "messiness" of life.
Performance and Production: The Art of the Eight Count
Anchoring the film is a tour-de-force performance by Rinko Kikuchi. Though Kikuchi was unable to attend the festival in person, her presence was felt through a heartfelt video message played for the audience.
"Filming was full of new experiences: ballroom dancing, speaking English and Spanish, and learning something new every single day," Kikuchi said. "This film is filled with dance, love, mess, and life, and I really hope it reaches many of you."
The physical demands of the role were significant, particularly for a cast that, by and large, entered the production with little to no formal dance training. Alberto Guerra, who portrays Haru’s dance instructor, provided a humorous contrast to the technical precision required for the film.
"I am from Cuba, but there’s this misconception that all Cubans can dance—I can’t," Guerra joked on stage, gesturing toward choreographers Chikako Takemoto and Miri Murano. "It was not easy to work with me."
The choreographers’ success in transforming the cast into a cohesive, rhythmic ensemble is a testament to the film’s "infectious" energy. The dance sequences act as imaginative escapes, serving as windows into Haru’s subconscious and allowing the audience to witness her internal healing process through physical expression.
The Symbolism of Sorrow: The Black Bird
One of the most striking creative choices in Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is the physical manifestation of grief. In Haru’s home, her sorrow takes the form of a large, looming black bird.
Wladyka explains that the decision to introduce this surreal element was rooted in a desire to externalize the internal. "Haru is living in grief in her house," he notes. "We wanted to manifest some sort of spirit, something that was still looming there."
The director drew from two disparate cultural wells to design the entity: the universal Western trope of ravens and crows as symbols of death, and the Japanese tradition of yuru-kyara—the country’s mascot culture. By blending the ominous nature of the bird with the huggable, approachable aesthetic of a mascot, Wladyka created a symbol that is simultaneously haunting and soothing. It is a visual representation of the complexity of grief: it is dark and heavy, yet it is also a part of the house, a constant companion that one must eventually learn to live alongside.
The Soundtrack as the Heartbeat
In a film where movement is the primary language, the music is the dialect. Wladyka describes the soundtrack not merely as a score, but as a central character in the narrative.
"The music is really the heartbeat of the film," Wladyka explains. "It’s part of the rhythm of the film and part of the editing process."
The production faced the logistical challenge of clearing iconic tracks—such as The Cranberries’ "Dreams"—before filming even commenced. Because the choreography was built entirely around these specific songs, there was no room for error or last-minute substitutions. This "intentional" approach to the soundtrack ensures that every dance sequence feels organic to the emotional arc of the scene. The result is a film where the editing, the choreography, and the music function as a single, breathing organism.
Implications: Joy as an Act of Courage
As the festival continues, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is being hailed as a standout for its unique blend of tone and theme. By refusing to shy away from the darker aspects of the human experience while simultaneously celebrating the possibility of renewed joy, Wladyka has created a piece of art that resonates deeply with the current cultural climate.
The film makes a bold, necessary argument: that joy, particularly after the experience of profound loss, is not a luxury or a distraction. It is an act of courage. Through the lens of ballroom dancing, Wladyka suggests that the "mess" of life is not a flaw to be corrected, but a rhythm to be followed.
For audiences, the takeaway is clear: the bird of grief may sit in the corner of the room, and the steps may be difficult to learn, but the music never truly stops. The most profound way to honor the past is to continue the dance. As the final frame fades, one is left with the lingering impression that Wladyka has succeeded in his goal—creating a "weird, unique dance film" that, at its core, is a profound meditation on how to keep moving when everything else stands still.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is expected to see a wider theatrical release later this year, promising to bring its message of resilience and rhythm to a global audience. Whether through its surreal imagery or its grounded, human performances, it is a film that demands to be felt, experienced, and perhaps most importantly, danced to.
